Mamivac - Conical Shape Nipple Shield for Breast Milk Pump - Small 18mm (Pack of 2)

Seller did a great job with issuing refund, after the product didn't fit my need.

I was using medela size 24mm before I switched. I needed a larger size. Which I could not find with medela. Naturally the comfort has a lot more to do with sizing up than the switch in brands. One thing to note is that these clean up well every single time. The medela sheild always had some weird residue or streaks after cleaning. I clean these by hand using clear antibacterial soap and they come up squeaky clean and perfectly clear every time. The case is also a huge plus. It is large enough for both sheilds to sit side by side. My old case was small and only fit one sheild or to stacked together. The old case also wouldn't open all the way up so trying to remove or replace the sheild with one hand was impossible. This one is small enough to fit in my smallest diaper bag and big enough to not get lost in my largest diaper bag.

Due to medical complications, my milk didn't come in for several days (a little more than a week) after my daughter was born. Being a few weeks early, she was small and needed to put on weight quickly. I was more than happy to supplement with formula and pump in the meantime. Once my milk had come in, my little one could not get a good latch around my larger than average nipple with her tiny mouth. So, I spent a lot of time feeding her, getting her to sleep, pumping and repeating, while trying to find time to pee somewhere in between.Seven weeks later and we'd reached an impasse. Having been introduced to the bottle from the beginning she refused to nurse from my breast and I was reaching my wit's end. Mommy guilt is horrible and, even though I know there's no shame in exclusively pumping (if you are able to feed your child, then you are doing a good job), I felt like she was rejecting me. I wanted that bond I had always heard about.After researching and talking to a few professionals, I began to look up nipple shields. I knew that with my pump I used a 30mm flange (that I had to order separately from the pump) and that the standard sizes were not comfortable so I was highly reluctant to even attempt them. Many, many, MANY hours of googling later and I find that "largest" nipple shields are still only 24mm- seriously!? -even on the Madela and Ameda websites where they are listed as mediums.Near tears with frustration, I finally stumbled across this product and hallelujah!!! Today I was able to nurse my daughter for the first time.Pros:Super thin material that isn't flimsyLarge holes that allow milk to flow freelyCarrying case is small, closes firmly and holds both shields easilyEasy to cleanCons:Doesn't seem to adhere to my skin as well as I would like, but this might be corrected with useWe have only used them once, so my opinion is based solely on that experience. But, I was able to switch breasts so that she could nurse from both sides with one shield. It worked so well that I had to jump on and share my triumph.

My baby is only a week old, so her mouth is very tiny compared to my nipples which caused unbearable discomfort in my nipple/areola area while getting her to latch. The point of the shield is to draw the nipple and areola out because if the baby only latches to the nipple, it can cause trauma, and with more prominent nipples, you can see how needing a larger shield is necessary. This caused minimal discomfort, and as the baby grows, so will her mouth.I look forward to using this shield until then.

What I like about this nipple shield is it is the thinnest I’ve used, compared with medela and Lansing. This is beneficial for me as I feel my daughter gets a better latch and nurses more naturally from it. The other shields have thicker nipples and therefore provide better protection for your nipple, but that can go against you if the baby can’t get a deep latch. The shape is almost identical to medela 24mm, I’m almost not sure it is bigger in diameter or height, so I removed one star but not being a bit larger, though I haven’t actually confirmed dimensions. 4mm is a small difference. I think the top of the part that lays against your breast/areola could be wider. Overall I’m happy with this product as I feel my baby is able to get a better latch than anything else I’ve tried, while still providing enough of a barrier to protect my nipple. She tends to use her gums and has a lip tie. While she can latch sometimes, because of her small mouth and ties and my flat nipples, it can be very frustrating and uncomfortable, and this product makes latching easy but also doesn’t work against nursing for those of us that doesn’t have a strong letdown/flow.

I can’t believe how hard it was to find a nipple shield for larger nipples. After the third try, I finally found this one. It works just like the medela one the hospital gave me except it fits the nipple closer to holes. My preterm was having a hard time getting milk because the 24mm was just not fitting the nipple close enough. This left us both frustrated. As soon as I put this on, we had no trouble latching and now we are able to breastfeed!!

This product works really well once it’s on but it tends to fall off easily when a baby is flailing their arms around (as newborns do) but not when the baby is sucking. Also never had chapped nipples or pain when using the shield. It is thicker than other shields so if your baby doesn’t take to a bottle they probably won’t like this.

So I was using a smaller one before by Medela, but that one ending up really hurting my nipples, so I got this one and it fits great! But.. Its too big for my baby's mouth... She can't grab it at all.. :(